Inspired by the novels of Jules Verne, this rediscovered gem by renowned Czech animator and designer, Karel Zeman, pays tribute to the films of Georges Méliès, and predates the steampunk craze by decades. Fantastical machines, a deadly submarine, and science put to nefarious ends all figure into the film, which seems, at times, ripped from today’s headlines. A maniacal mogul kidnaps a brilliant but doddering scientist and tricks him into creating a weapon of mass destruction, while his enslaved assistant seeks a way to warn the world. Live action combines with innovative and quirky animated imagery based on Victorian steel engravings.